Cleric Empowers Youths with Skills, Start-Up Capital

Prophet Sam Alo has provided hundreds of unemployed graduates and youths with vocational training and start-up funds in a bid to tackle unemployment and poverty in Nigeria.

The initiative was part of the church’s annual 30-day fasting and prayer programme, themed “Sure Mercy of David”, held at Jesus City along the Lekki Epe Expressway, Lagos. Now in its eighth edition, the programme reportedly benefits no fewer than 5,000 Nigerians annually through humanitarian and spiritual interventions.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday, participants are trained in various trades such as tailoring, welding, and mobile phone repairs, and are equipped with tools and funds to start their own businesses.

“Our goal is to make young Nigerians self-reliant so they can support themselves, their families, and the nation,” Alo said. “University certificates alone are no longer enough to secure jobs in today’s Nigeria.

Combining education with vocational skills opens more doors.”

He urged wealthy Nigerians to contribute to job creation by investing in youth empowerment, noting that artisans without the means to start work were also supported.

Participants praised the cleric’s philanthropic gesture. One beneficiary, Oladokun Oyekunle, shared how he unexpectedly secured employment at the church’s private radio station in Ado-Ekiti during the programme.

“I came from Ado-Ekiti to surprise my mother, who attends this programme regularly. During the prayers, the Prophet asked if I was a graduate and promised to employ me on the spot. This is a miracle for me because I had nothing to sustain myself before now,” said Oyekunle, who holds an HND in Accounting.